Reply #39: I probably didn't describe accurately.

[sarge43]

I had the definite whiff of "this old lady will freak at the thought of a stick"; wouldn't have been the first time. If I have a preference, I state it up front.

If I were living in a city, even the 'burbs, especially if the terrain was flat with relatively straight roads, an automatic would be the way to go. However, in rural New England there may be all up less than a hundred miles of flat straight roads, even on the freeways. Either you work the shift to break or wheels spend a lot of time in the shop getting new pads.